Map of Botswana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership progressive social policies and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction principally diamond mining dominates economic activity though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.


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Location: Southern Africa north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S 24 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 581,730 km²
Rank: 47
Land: 566,730 km²
Water: 15,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 4,013 km
Border countries: (3) Namibia 1360 km; South Africa 1840 km; Zimbabwe 813 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
Extremes highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1489 m

Natural resources: diamonds copper nickel salt soda ash potash coal iron ore silver

Land use
Arable land: 0.65%
Permanent crops: 0.01%
Other: 99.34% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 14.7 km³ (2001)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west carrying sand and dust across the country which can obscure visibility

Geography
Note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country


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Population: 1,990,876
Rank: 146
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy higher infant mortality higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 1.937% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 64
Below poverty line: 30.3% (2003)

Nationality
Noun: Motswana Batswana (plural)
Adjective: Motswana (singular) Batswana (plural)

Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79% Kalanga 11% Basarwa 3% other including Kgalagadi and white 7%

Languages: Setswana 78.2% Kalanga 7.9% Sekgalagadi 2.8% English 2.1% (official) other 8.6% unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Religions: Christian 71.6% Badimo 6% other 1.4% unspecified 0.4% none 20.6% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 34.8%
15-64 years: 61.4% (male 613,714/female 608,003)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 31,155/female 45,547) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 21.7 years
Male: 21.5 years
Female: 21.9 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.937% (2009 est.)
Rank: 64

Birth rate: 22.89 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 81

Death rate: 8.52 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 93

Net migration rate: 5 migrant(s)/1000 population
Rank: 21
Note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 60% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 12.59 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 141
Male: 13.43 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.73 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 61.85 years
Rank: 178
Male: 61.72 years
Female: 61.99 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 89

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 23.9% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 2
People living with hivaids: 300,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 23
Deaths: 11,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 28

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 8.7% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 10

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 81.2%
Male: 80.4%
Female: 81.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 12 years (2005)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
Conventional short form: Botswana
Local long form: Republic of Botswana
Local short form: Botswana
Former: Bechuanaland

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Gaborone
Geographic coordinates: 24 45 S 25 55 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central Francistown* Gaborone* Ghanzi Jwaneng* Kgalagadi Kgatleng Kweneng Lobatse* Northeast Northwest Selebi-Pikwe* Southeast Southern

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 September 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day) 30 September (1966)

Constitution: March 1965; effective 30 September 1966

Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA ; Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held on 9 October 2009); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52%: note - MOGAE stepped down on 1 April 2008 and designated KHAMA to serve out the remainder of his term

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 ex-officio members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats 57 members are directly elected by popular vote 4 are appointed by the majority party and 2 the President and Attorney-General serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 53.3% BNF 21.9% BCP 19.2% 2.3% other 4.3%; seats by party - BDP 45 BNF 6 BCP 4 BAM 1 other 1

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)

Political parties and leaders: Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Gilson SALESHANDO]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Daniel KWELAGOBE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP [Bernard BALIKANI]; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS [Themba JOINA]; New Democratic Front or NDF [Dick BAYFORD]
Note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OPCW SACU SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIS UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA
In the us chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-4,990
In the us fax: [1] (202) 244-4,164
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen J. NOLAN
From the us embassy: Embassy Enclave (off Khama Crescent) Gaborone
From the us mailing address: Embassy Enclave P. O. Box 90 Gaborone
From the us telephone: [267] 395-3,982
From the us fax: [267] 395-6,947

Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966 though growth fell below 5% in 2007-08. Through fiscal discipline and sound management Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $13,300 in 2008. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism financial services subsistence farming and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially was 23.8% in 2004 but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 111
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 129

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 83
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.6%
Industry: 52.6% (including 36% mining)
Services: 45.8% (2008 est.)

Agriculture products: livestock sorghum maize millet beans sunflowers groundnuts

Industries: diamonds copper nickel salt soda ash potash; livestock processing; textiles

Industrial production growth rate: -2.4% (2008 est.)
Rank: 158

Labor force: 685,300 formal sector employees (2007)
Rank: 146
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2007 est.)
Rank: 96

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30.3% (2003)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index: 63 (1993)
Rank: 4

Budget
Revenues: $4.326 billion
Expenditures: $4.808 billion (2008 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 8.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 118

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.1% (2007 est.)
Rank: 175

Central bank discount rate: 14.5% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 17

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 16.22% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 34

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit:

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 82

Current account balance: $2.434 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 49

Exports: $5.158 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 112
Commodities: diamonds copper nickel soda ash meat textiles

Imports: $3.447 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 122
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery electrical goods transport equipment textiles fuel and petroleum products wood and paper products metal and metal products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $9.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 68

Debt external: $408 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 168

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: pulas (BWP) per US dollar - 6.7907 (2008 est.) 6.2035 (2007) 5.8447 (2006) 5.1104 (2005) 4.6929 (2004)


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Electricity
Production: 1.052 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 144
Consumption: 2.648 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 130
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 2.181 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 94
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 208
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 46
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 71
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 105

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 142,300 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 135
Mobile cellular: 1.486 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 133

Telephone system
General assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile-cellular service and participation in regional development; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east; fixed-line connections declined in recent years and now stand at roughly 8 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 80 per 100 persons
Domestic: small system of open-wire lines microwave radio relay links and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile-cellular service is growing fast
International: country code - 267; international calls are made via satellite using international direct dialing; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia Zambia Zimbabwe and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .bw
Hosts: 7,341 (2009)
Hosts rank: 128
Users: 120,000 (2008)
Users rank: 146

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 42

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 77 (2009)
Rank: 71
With paved runways total: 9
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 68
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 54
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 888 km
Rank: 97
Narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 25,798 km
Rank: 103
Paved: 8,410 km
Unpaved: 17,388 km (2005)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and political persecution; Namibia has long supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River at Kazungula crossing thereby de facto recognizing the short but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs